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Article: That's a salamander? (includes related information on ancient salamanders)
- Article from:
- Ranger Rick
- Article date:
- June 1, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 National Wildlife Federation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Poke at some leaves or pick up a rock by a stream, and what might you find? A wiggling, squiggling salamander--a slippery, lizard- like cousin of toads and frogs.
You may have seen lots of different salamanders. (There are more than 350 species.) And maybe you think they're all pretty much the same. But here are some way-out and weird salamanders that you may not believe!
Axolotl
Most salamanders hatch from eggs as larvae and swim around in water like tadpoles. They have gills for breathing and a tail fin for paddling. Then they lose their gills and fins and crawl onto land as adults.
But some salamanders, such as the axolotl ...